Glen Park BART stairs more dangerous than the escalators?

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Photo by Wiltastic

Rider Beth has another observation about the Glen Park BART station. She wonders whether the escalator’s being shut down for six months led to more serious accidents on the stairs. Read on.

The Glen Park BART station down escalator reopened last week to little fanfare. You can see some diaries on this repairwork at these two posts: Woe Unto Glen Park BART Riders and Further Glen Park BART Woes. The escalator was out of commission for about six months, from sometime in February until late August.

During that time, lots of passengers were forced to use the very long stone staircase to get down to the platform (or use the elevator). At least once I stumbled on the stairs, and I know other people have had similar mishaps. Once, when we were heading out, my partner Devin and I saw that the stairs were blocked off because someone had taken a serious fall on them and paramedics were attending to him/her.

That made me wonder whether the escalator’s breakdown had led to many more serious accidents on the stairs, since so many more people were using them. So, I requested documents, first from the SF Fire Department (since their paramedics handle such incidents) and then from the SF Department of Emergency Management, who had the records from the 911 calls.

In short, no more people suffered serious injuries on the stairs — serious enough to call an ambulance, anyway — between February and mid-August, 2011 when compared to the prior year.

On June 9, 2011, a 67-year-old woman fell on the stairs and broke her ankle or left lower leg (the report mentions both). The only other report of a fall of any kind in the Glen Park BART station came on June 30, when a woman fell onto the tracks and a train rolled over her, causing no injuries.

Rewind one year. On April 16, 2010, someone fell down the stairs and broke his or her leg. Ironically, three days earlier, on April 13, an elderly patron fell down the escalator and required paramedic evaluation for unknown injuries.

It’s possible more people suffered really minor stumbles and falls, but fortunately, it looks like this extended escalator outage didn’t lead to any more serious injuries than you’d see in a typical year. Whew.

Did any of you Glen Park regulars take a tumble on the stairs while the escalator was out of commission?

Massive power outage muddies Muni, BART commutes

muni power outage cgoodyjenks

A major power outage is shutting down the north side of the city today, forcing the closure of Montgomery Street station for about two hours until a generator was brought in. In the photo above by @cgoodyjenks, the 1-California buses were stalled waiting for the power to come back on. PG&E said via Twitter that crews are working on the issue and expects power to be restored to “most” customers by 1 p.m.

Curbed posted some haunting photos of Montgomery Station before the power was back on. Read more

BART wants to gamify your commute to solve congestion problems

embarcadero bart station crowded after medical emergency at montgomery station

What’s it gonna take for you change your commute schedule to avoid BART’s most congested times? Some of you might remember that BART bought some new trains (here they are with new interior features), but those trains aren’t going to arrive until 2017. In the meantime, BART is set to launch a commuter game called “BART Perks” to alleviate the congestion issue, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The game gives you extra points if you ride BART at its less congested times, and the points lead to perks that have not yet been announced.

More from the Chronicle:

Enticing just 1,250 people — about the capacity of a 10-car train — to commute a bit earlier or later, officials said, could significantly reduce crowding on trains and station platforms.

The need to spread out the rush is growing. San Francisco’s downtown stations, particularly Montgomery and Embarcadero, have become so overwhelmed with arriving passengers in the morning that BART is planning to run all of its escalators in the up direction to clear platforms. Transbay trains are often packed to the limit, as most commuters have experienced.

… The $1.6 million experiment, funded mostly with grants from federal transportation agencies, is based on successful programs used on crowded transit systems in Singapore and Bangalore, India. Like those, BART Perks was developed by Urban Engines, a Silicon Valley startup focused on mobility.

If you’re the type of person who makes Open Table reservations only at 1,000 point restaurants, or if you clipped coupons in a former life, you can probably see the appeal of this game. BART Perks will be launching this spring so we’ll keep you updated.

h/t: SFist.

Photo via @JimMcNutty

Look out for a new glass canopy at Powell and Civic Center BART stations

bart station canopy

Powell and Civic Center BART stations are getting a new do’, in the form of new glass canopy entrances along Market Street.

The designers’ rendering of the glass canopy is above, which you might have seen if you were being an A+ San Franciscan and attended the community event back in April. According to BART, Market Street will eventually (as in the next 10 years) have 30 new canopy entrances to product stations and escalators from weather damage and “improve station security and escalator durability.”

Don’t hold you breath yet, though. Construction for the new entrances is slated to begin toward the end of next year.

In other BART news, the San Francisco Chronicle is taking down circulation kiosks at BART stations, according to Mission Local. Oh, it’s the end of an era.

h/t: SFist, San Francisco Chronicle.

We now turn to the topic of bikes on BART

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Thousands of different people could’ve written this post, but it was BART rider and friend of Muni Diaries Blair (she of the 12-Folsom fix) who put it best:

Nothing will stop the scouuuuuuurge, because these people can’t read:

BIKES ON BART RULES

  • During non-commute hours, bikes are allowed on all trains except the first car or any crowded car.
  • During commute hours (7:00 to 9:00 AM and 4:30 to 6:30 PM, weekdays), bikes are not allowed in the first three cars of any train.
  • Folded bikes are allowed in all cars at all times.
  • Regardless of any other rule, bikes are never allowed on crowded cars. Use your good judgment and only board cars that can comfortably accommodate you and your bicycle.
  • Bicyclists must hold their bikes while on the trains.
  • Bicyclists must use elevators or stairs, not escalators, and always walk bikes.
  • Bicyclists must yield priority seating to seniors and people with disabilities, yield to other passengers, and not block aisles or doors.
  • In case of an evacuation, leave your bike on the train and do not let it block aisles or doors.
  • Bicyclists under 14 years old must be accompanied by an adult.
  • Gas powered vehicles are never permitted.
  • On BART property, bikes must be parked in racks and lockers. Bikes parked against poles, fences or railings will be removed.

Violation of the above rules is subject to citation under CA Vehicle Code Sec. 21113 and Sec. 42001.

http://www.bart.gov/guide/bikes/bikeRules

Dear BART:
Please post the bike rules above EVERY bike section in your train cars.
BAM!

This all comes about because, well, every fucka day, but also, BART rider Joshua tweeted the above photo and said, “Hey self-absorbed bike guy on this uber-crowded @SFBART car.. just wait for the next train. #BikeFAIL”

Correct!

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